After transmigrating, he supported his family by working at a garbage dump.

The next morning, Xu Wenjie and his wife Li Quanfu set off together before dawn.

Unable to take the official road this time, the group did not climb the mountain, but instead chose to take a longer route, specifically towards Hu San Niang's maternal home.

Hu San Niang's initial idea was that if her elder brother had stayed at her parents' house last night, they could have stopped him before he returned to town.

Some things should be brought up at her parents' home. With her father keeping things under control, her older brother wouldn't dare to lie to them.

Unfortunately, she miscalculated.

When they arrived at Hu Da's mother's house in "that village," they learned that Hu Da had dinner the night before and had taken his family back to town overnight.

She missed it, and the situation remained unclear. Hu San Niang didn't dare tell her father what was going on, but seeing his daughter's anxious appearance, Old Man Hu guessed that she had something important to tell Hu Da.

He then instructed Brother Hu to drive the oxcart and take the three of them to the town without stopping. Fortunately, there was an oxcart, because the road from "that village" to the town was indeed difficult to travel.

Hu San Niang was quite afraid of delaying things.

At this time, the Xu family courtyard was still quiet.

Xu Wenjie and his wife did not tell Xu Zhuzhu and Xu An about this, so the two children were still fast asleep under the covers when Xu Wenjie left.

Zhang He stayed home to look after the two children, so she naturally didn't go with them. She woke up early and sat alone in front of the stove, feeling bored.

Fortunately, Mei Xiangyun also woke up and could keep her company, so the time passed quickly.

But she kept thinking about it. Even though she knew there was no danger, she was still sullen. Perhaps it was because of her fear of the unknown?

Zhang He felt extremely uneasy.

Mei Xiangyun noticed that Zhang He was preoccupied, so she pulled Zhang He aside and chatted about this and that. Zhang He also understood what she meant and couldn't help but think that this girl was really nice, so she was happy to talk to her.

Zhang He didn't know Mei Xiangyun's true identity. Judging from the information Mei Xiangyun revealed, she seemed to have been educated for a few years and spoke in a way that wasn't vulgar. The two got along well.

Our feelings for each other were even stronger than yesterday.

Mei Xiangyun also dragged Zhang He to plant potatoes.

“When my little sister Zhuzhu told me about it, I was quite surprised. I didn’t know what a potato was. I’m not very knowledgeable. I’ve only ever seen beans hanging on vines and branches. I’ve never seen beans growing in the soil. Sister-in-law, please help me broaden my horizons.”

Zhang He knew that she was just trying to find topics to talk about and make her laugh.

But considering that this person was trying so hard to make herself happy, she didn't want to offend her, so she continued along with Mei Xiangyun's words.

“I had never seen these beans before in the north. It was an old man who gave them to me after I came here. That’s when I learned that there were beans like these.”

Mei Xiangyun opened the bag and took a closer look, and a strange expression appeared on her face, which was rare to see.

"It doesn't look like beans at all, it looks like lumps, like kudzu root?"

"It looks like a radish to me, but it doesn't taste as juicy as a radish..."

After pondering for a while, the topic drifted further and further away. Xu Zhuzhu, who was trying to sleep against the wall, listened to her mother and Mei Xiangyun discussing potatoes in the yard all morning, and ultimately couldn't stay in bed...

Let's go back to Qingshan Town.

Instead of heading directly to the yamen, Xu Wenjie and his two companions went to Constable Hu's house in the north.

“My older brother said yesterday that he’s on leave and staying home these days, so he doesn’t need to go to the government office.”

After Hu San Niang finished speaking, she walked briskly with her head down the whole way, showing none of her usual cheerfulness. It wasn't hard to guess what she was thinking.

Li Quanfu looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Third Sister, don't rush, be careful not to fall."

His wife has been like this since yesterday, and no matter how he tries to persuade her, he can't stop her. For now, he can only let her be.

Now that they were almost at Constable Hu's house, Hu San Niang's expression turned even more unpleasant.

When asked what was wrong, she would always reply that nothing was wrong, followed by a long silence, completely unlike her usual self.

Xu Wenjie also noticed this and helped to comfort them:

"Sister-in-law, don't worry too much. We'll ask Officer Hu properly when we see him. We're just speculating, and we might not even be right. Things will become clear in time. There's really no need to worry too much."

Hu San Niang looked up at Xu Wenjie. She smiled faintly and nodded, saying nothing more.

Li Quanfu sighed upon seeing this.

If Hu San Niang were someone who could listen to this advice, then she wouldn't be called Hu San Niang.

Xu Wenjie patted Li Quanfu on the shoulder, and the two looked at each other, seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.

Each lost in their own thoughts, they walked quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the three of them turned into a long alley. After walking a few steps further in, they arrived at Constable Hu's house.

The courtyard gate is towering, and the road in front of it is paved with blue bricks. As you walk along the alley, you see rows of white walls and gray tiles. Compared with other parts of the town, it seems to be much more wealthy.

For example, the house of Granny Mi in the east of the city is rather simple compared to this place.

That makes sense, since the government office is right here, and it's a place where the county magistrates often stay. The local gentry all value this, so it's impossible for it to be simple and unpretentious.

The eastern part of the city is home to ordinary people, some of whom still make a living by farming, which is understandable.

Xu Wenjie had never been here before. Li Quanfu had mentioned it before, saying that almost everyone living in the alley behind this place was a government official.

Of course, there were also some wealthy people among them.

Li Quanfu made no unnecessary movements, and took a few steps forward to knock on the door.

"Bang bang bang-"

"Brother, is sister-in-law home? Third Aunt and I have come to see you!"

Before the words were finished, another commotion erupted.

Before long, a light footstep could be heard approaching from afar, and then the courtyard gate opened with a "whoosh," revealing a petite, round-faced woman standing behind it.

She was dressed in plain clothes and had a very ordinary appearance at first glance, but when the young woman smiled with her big, crescent-shaped eyes, it immediately made people feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.

She has a gentle personality, but she doesn't look very old; she seems even younger than Zhang He.

Xu Wenjie was secretly amazed. On a side note, with Hu the Constable's often serious square face, he always felt that there should be a more shrewd wife at home.

"Third sister, third brother-in-law, what brings you here? Please come in quickly."

As Sister-in-law Hu warmly greeted him, her gaze turned to Xu Wenjie.

Realizing what was happening, Li Quanfu quickly explained.

"...This is Scholar Xu. He just moved to our village before the New Year. Your brother should have mentioned him to your wife."

After thinking for a moment, Sister-in-law Hu raised her eyebrows and looked as if she had just realized something. She smiled gently and said, "So this is Mr. Xu. My husband often mentions him, saying that he is very talented in literature. Now that I have met him, he is indeed a very handsome man."

Xu Wenjie humbly cupped his hands in apology, saying, "I dare not accept such praise."

He felt that Sister-in-law Hu didn't know him, since he didn't have much interaction with Constable Hu.

"Come in quickly!"

Sister-in-law Hu warmly invited the group into the house.

At this moment, Hu San Niang, who had remained silent the entire way, finally spoke.

"Sister-in-law, is my older brother inside?"

As they talked, they walked inside.

Mentioning Hu Da, Hu Da's wife paused, her brows furrowed slightly, and she smiled shyly, saying:

"Unfortunately, someone came to the yamen early this morning, saying there was an important case to investigate. Your older brother went to the yamen early this morning and hasn't come back yet!"

But seeing Hu San Niang in a hurry, with a serious expression, Hu Da Sao's smile also faded a bit.

"Everyone of them has a grimace, what happened?"

The three looked at each other, remaining silent in tacit agreement.